Red Alert
Cinnamon is present in many forms from flavored cereals, gum and candy to mouth washes, lip sunscreen and toothpaste. Although there is nothing wrong with these products, and cinnamon may be just the right spice to add kick to your food, too much of anything - even a good thing - can lead to problems.
According to a recent study conducted by dentists at the University of Louisville School of Dentistry, people who "abuse cinnamon" may wind up with inflamed gum tissue, red bumps and painful oral lesions.
The research involved some forty cases that presented throughout the 1980's. Almost all of the patients were people who were trying to quit smoking and were chewing large amounts of cinnamon gum or sucking on hard candy that contained cinnamon.
In a related study dentists at the University of Maryland School of Dentistry have reported that during the last four years they have diagnosed 24 cases of cinnamon-induced stomatitis, an inflammatory disease of the mouth.
One of the diagnosed cases in the study involved a woman who gargled with cinnamon- flavored mouthwash, ate cinnamon-flavored cereal and candy and chewed cinnamon-flavored gum.